Freemasonry

A secret society apparently introduced in the Re public during the second decade of the 18th century. The fraternity was suppressed by the States of Holland in 1735. However, several years later, new lodges were founded and tolerated by the authorities. During the 19th century, Freemasonry enjoyed royal patronage in the person of Prince Frederik (1797–1881)—a brother of King William III — who from 1816 served as grandmaster-general for more than half a century. Freemasons now have some 6,000 members organized in 146 lodges in the Netherlands.

Freemasonry — [frē′mās′ nrē] n. 1. the principles, rituals, etc. of Freemasons 2. the Freemasons 3. [f ] a natural sympathy and understanding among persons with like experiences … English World dictionary

Freemasonry — Freemasons redirects here. For other uses, see Freemasons (disambiguation). Masonic redirects here. For the ghost town in California, see Masonic, California. The Masonic Square and Compasses. (Found with or without the letter G) … Wikipedia

Freemasonry — Initially a secret fraternity that developed a system of allegory and symbolism based on the temple of King Solomon and medieval stonemasonry, Freemasonry experienced its most tumultuous episodes in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and … Encyclopedia of the Age of Imperialism, 1800–1914

freemasonry — The supposed existence of an international masonic conspiracy to destabilize Spain was one of the staples of right wing rhetoric throughout the nineteenth century and the Franco period. The reality was that even during the Second Republic,… … Encyclopedia of contemporary Spanish culture

freemasonry — [[t]fri͟ːmeɪs(ə)nri[/t]] 1) N UNCOUNT Freemasonry is the organization of the Freemasons and their beliefs and practices. He was very active in Freemasonry. 2) N UNCOUNT: also a N, usu with supp Freemasonry is the friendly feeling that exists… … English dictionary